August 2021 | BaoActive African Superfood

Hibiscus Lemon Cookies

Delicately lemony and so sparkly, these unique little cookies are perfect for the holidays and special occasions.

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Total Time 30

Course Dessert, Snack

Servings 4 dozen

Ingredients

1½ cups All purpose flour
1 tbsp Hibiscus Powder
½ tsp Baking Powder
¼ tsp Baking Soda
½ cup Unsalted Butter room temperature
¾ cup Granulated Sugar
¼ tsp Salt
1 x Large Egg
1 tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
¼ tsp Pure Lemon Extract or 1/8 tsp. Lemon Oil
Finely Grated Zest of One Lemon
Sparkling Sugar, for coating

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, hibiscus powder, baking powder, and baking soda; set aside. In large mixing bowl, use electric mixer to beat butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy.
Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract; beat until well combined; remove beaters. Using heavy-duty wooden spoon, add flour mixture and mix until just combined (it will seem too dry, at first, but will be soft and sticky when combined.)
Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 1/2 hours. When ready to bake, line 2 cookie sheets or sheet pans with parchment paper; preheat oven to 180°C
Working one at a time, form dough into 2.5cm ball and roll into sparkling sugar. Place on lined baking sheet; press down lightly. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies one inch apart.
Bake at 180°C for approximately 10 minutes for softer cookie to 12-13 minutes for crisper cookie. Cool on baking sheets on wire racks for a few minutes; serve or store in airtight container.

Notes

The hibiscus powder is red, but the cookies will be a nice lavender color. You could roll them in the sparkling sugar and then use a cookie stamp.

Quinoa & Hibiscus Soup

In this recipe, we have combined quinoa and hibiscus powder to make a soup. This is perfectly soothing on a rainy day. Try this unique recipe and enjoy the benefits of Hibiscus.

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Total Time 1

Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Soup

Servings 2 Portions

Ingredients

3 tbsp Hibiscus Powder
2 tbsp Quinoa
½ cup Tomato Chopped
¼ cup Onions Chopped
2 x Garlic Cloves Chopped
1 tsp Ginger
1 tbsp Oil/Butter
½ tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Salt
1 tbsp Beetroot powder or a piece of Beetroot
⅕ cup Mint Leaves
1 tbsp Pepper Powder
1½ cup Water

Instructions

Wash and soak quinoa for 20 minutes, drain.
In a small cooker, add oil and once it is hot sauté onions, garlic and ginger pieces for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and sauté for another 30 seconds.
Now add the drained quinoa, salt, petals and beetroot powder and cumin powder. Add 1/2 Cup water and cook for 15minutes. Let pressure settle down.
With the help of a hand blender, blend everything. Add a cup of water and pepper powder. Cook on medium heat till it froths. Serve hot.

Hibiscus Macarons with jammy centres

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Hibiscus Macarons with jammy centres

It’s never a bad time for dessert. Cookies, cake, pie, you name it! But sometimes you need to change it up with something a little fancier: enter hibiscus macarons. They may seem intimidating but with our easy-to-follow guide, they don’t have to be. And you can customize them!

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Total Time 2 30

Course Dessert, Snack

Servings 24 macarons

Ingredients

Macarons Shells

200 g confectioner’s sugar
115 g almond flour
4 x egg whites room temperature
1 pinch cream of tartar
100 g granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Hibiscus Buttercream filling

225 g unsalted butter room temperature
1 pinch kosher salt
2 tsp hibiscus powder
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Royal Icing

1⅓ cups confectioner’s sugar
1 tbs meringue powder
2 tbsp warm water
Food colouring depending upon what you want to decorate the macaron shells as

Decoration

Hibiscus Buttercream
Jam of your choice
Sprinkles

Instructions

For the macaron shells

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line baking sheets with the paper templates, and top with the parchment paper
In a bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse 1/2 of the confectioner's sugar with the almond flour until a fine powder is formed. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and mix in the remaining confectioner’s sugar. Sift mixture three times into a large bowl. Set aside. This process is important, do not cut short this step!
To make the meringue: In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until foamy. Gradually add granulated sugar. Once all the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is thick, scrap down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla extract, and increase the speed to high, whipping until stiff, firm, glossy peaks form for atleast 5-7 minutes.
You can remove and turn the whisk and the meringue should hold.
To complete the macaronnage step: Sift the almond flour mixture, one-third at a time, over the egg white mixture, and fold using a large spatula until just combined.
Add colouring to your batter
Now mix each batter, until the mixture is smooth and shiny. The batter should be firm, have a glossy shine and drip smoothly from the spatula. Take in the batter with your spatula and press it against the bowl in the same motion to remove the air from the batter. This step is very important. If you overwhip the batter will be too runny so do not overwhip. It should flow like lava, slowly but form ribbons.
Transfer the batter to a pastry bag filled with a 1/4 inch plain round tip, and pipe 1 inch rounds on parchment-lined baking sheets using a template for macarons or use a MACARON SILPAT to help get the round shapes. Gentle tap the bottom of each sheet on work surface to release trapped air OR you could bang the tray against the kitchen counter. Do this step atleast 10 times. If there is a bubble, use a toothpick to fill it up.
Let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes atleast. Check for a slight crust to form on the macaron. The macarons should not stick to your finger when lightly touched.
Bake one sheet at a time, rotating halfway through, until macarons are crisp and firm, about 15 minutes.
Allow macarons to cool on the baking sheets for 30 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.

For the hibiscus buttercream filling

For the hibiscus tea, microwave about 1/4 cup water in a small microwaveable bowl, along with 2 teaspoons of hibiscus powder. Let it steep for about 5 minutes covered once out of the microwave. Strain the hibiscus tea into another small bowl.
In a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, add the butter and salt and whip until light and creamy about a minute.
Add the sugar, vanilla extract and hibiscus tea to the whipped butter and mix until the ingredients are well combined and the mixture is smooth about 2 minutes, starting at low speed(so that the sugar does not fly everywhere!) and gradually increasing the speed to high. Use a pastry bag with a 1/4 inch round tip to fill the buttercream filling and pipe around the outside of the shell on the rim. Add a 1/2 teaspoon of jam of your preference in the center. Use the same sized macaron shell to cover the icing.

Royal Icing

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the confectioner's sugar, meringue powder and water, first on low speed until combined. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing the icing until it is light in color and holds a stiff peak, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not overmix the icing.
Use the stiff consistency as-is for outlines. To make the icing a bit smooth and thinner consistency, add ¼ tsp water to thin it out. Mix well to check on the consistency. If needed add ¼ tsp more and so on and so forth to get the right consistency to flood the still outline of any shape.

Notes

1) Make sure that you whip the meringue thoroughly. The best way to check after 5 minutes of whipping is to remove the whisk, stir the meringue vigorously and turn it upside down. The merigue should stay stiff like a peak.

2) Make sure that you fold the almond mixture and it is well incorporated with the meringue and the end mixture is smooth and falls off the spatula with ease.

3) When using the pastry bag to pipe the macarons, hold it absolutely vertical, and center to the holes on the template and slightly above it, and not touching the paper to pipe it. You need to squeeze just a tad bit to release the batter onto the parchment paper.

4) Do not overwhip the batter else it will be too runny, and your macaron shells will be flat. Do not underwhip as well, else your macarons will not form a proper shell.

5) Make sure that you tap the tray atleast 10-15 times to release any air bubbles in the macaron shell.

6) You HAVE to let the macarons rest for atleast 45 minutes to form a nice shell.

7) It is very important to rotate the tray halfway through baking to make sure that the macarons are baked evenly.

8) DO NOT remove the shells off the parchment paper as soon as the tray comes out of the oven, else you will break the shell. Wait for 15 minutes atleast for it to cool down.

9) You can keep the shells covered and do the frosting the next day as well. The shells will keep for a couple of days.

Pork Ribs with Hibiscus Glaze

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BBQ Pork Ribs with Hibiscus Glaze

Harness the incredible natural color of Pure Hibiscus Powder to create these vividly glazed pork ribs.

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Total Time 2

Course Braai, Main Course

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Meat

2 racks Pork Spare Ribs

Glaze

1 cup sugar
½ cup water
1½ tbsp Hibiscus Powder
2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1 tsp Chilly Pepper

Seasoning

1 tbsp Garlic
1 tbsp Black pepper
1 tbsp Paprika

Instructions

Glaze

Place sugar and water into a small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved.
Turn off heat and add in hibiscus powder, let it rest for 30-40 minutes.
Strain the liquid and return it to the saucepan, discarding the spent flowers.
Add in the chilly pepper and apple cider vinegar, then return the to heat to reduce and thicken a further 10-14 minutes.
Allow glaze to cool.

Fire up your Braai

Prepare the Ribs

Pat ribs dry with a paper towel
If preferred, remove the membrane.
Sprinkle the racks liberally with a mix of your seasoning, ensuring all sides are coated.
Allow seasoning to form a paste by letting it sit and sweat for 20-30 minutes.
Paint the top of the ribs with a generous amount of the hibiscus glaze while braaiing until cooked
Glaze the ribs again once you have removed them from the braai

Notes

Some ideas for sides for BBQ Ribs

Coleslaw
Corn on the Cob
Green Salad
Sweet Potato Fries
Cucumber Tomato Salad
Broccoli Salad

Moringa Multigrain Masala Paratha

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Moringa Multigrain Masala Paratha

A paratha is a flatbread native to the Indian subcontinent prevalent throughout the modern-day nations of India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives and Myanmar, where wheat is the traditional staple. Paratha is an amalgamation of the words parat and atta, which literally means layers of cooked dough.

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Total Time 40

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

½ cup Bajra Flour
½ cup Maize (Makka) Flour
1 tbsp Moringa Powder
1 x Large Potato boiled and grated
1 pinch Salt to taste
½ tsp Chaat Masala
¼ tsp Red Chilly Powder
2 tbsp Coriander fresh and chopped
¼ tsp Ajwain Powder
1 pinch Hing Powder
1 tsp Ghee

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients except ghee in a big mixing bowl & make a soft dough using warm water.
Keep this dough aside for 15-20 minutes to rest. After 15-20 minutes, heat a tawa on medium flame.
Divide the dough in 4-5 equal portions and roll each one. Place one round ball of dough onto a flat surface and start patting it into a flat round shape using your hands.
Use a rolling pin to gently flatten the paratha. If the paratha keeps breaking while flattening, you can also place the dough between two plastic sheets or parchment paper and flatten it out using a rolling pin.
Place the paratha on the hot tawa. When the paratha is slightly cooked, flip it over to cook the other side. You will see small brown spots starting to appear.
Put ghee on both sides. Turn the flame to low and cook till it turns to a light brown shade.
Shallow fry the paratha till it is completely cooked and your Moringa multigrain masala paratha is ready!

Cheesy Moringa Uttapam

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Cheesy Moringa Uttapam

This is an easy-to-make Fusion recipe that you can cook for your family and friends on any occasion. It's a delicious blend of Indian and Italian flavours and will be loved by people of all age groups. You can use more herbs and spices to accentuate the taste of this delectable dish.

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Total Time 40

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

Batter

½ cup Semolina (Sooji)
¼ cup Oats powder
¼ cup Rice flour
½ cup Curd
1 pinch Salt to taste
½ tbsp Lemon juice
2 tsp Moringa Powder
1 tbsp Coconut Desiccated

Topping

2 tbsp Onion Finely Chopped
2 tbsp Tomatoes Finely Chopped
2 tbsp Bell Pepper Finely Chopped
1 x Green Chilly Finely Chopped
2 tbsp Green Coriander Chopped
1 tbsp Cheddar Cheese Grated
1 tsp Oil for shallow frying

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the batter in a big mixing bowl and add water gradually while stirring to make a dosa batter of desired consistency. Keep it aside for 15-20 minutes.
Heat a nonstick pan and pour the Uttapam batter over it.
Immediately sprinkle a few drops of oil on the sides and add the chopped vegetables. Let it cook from one side.
You can cover the pan so the vegetables steam properly. Once done, turn it over and cook for another 2 minutes.
Flip it again and sprinkle cheese over the veggie side and cover it.
Turn the flame off after a minute and let the cheese melt with the help of the steam inside.

Notes

Enjoy your Uttapam with green, coconut or tomato chutney.

Green Moringa Smoothie

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Green Smoothie

Amazing and flavorful Moringa Smoothie Recipe is easy to prepare with delicious ingredients like coconut water, almonds and frozen banana, so creamy and delicious! This Moringa smoothie is ready in minutes and very healthy!

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Total Time 5

Course Drinks

Servings 2 smoothies

Ingredients

1 medium Banana
½ medium Apple
1 x Kiwi
7-8 x Almonds (soaked overnight and peeled)
1 tbsp Oats Powder
1 tsp Flaxseed Powder
2 tsp Chia Seeds
1 cup Spinach Leaves
2 tsp Moringa Powder
1 cup Coconut Water You can also use plain water

Instructions

Add all the ingredients except ½ glass coconut/plain water in a blender and blend till you get a smooth mixture.
Pour in the rest of the coconut water and pulse again for a while.
Your super healthy and filling green smoothie is ready.

Notes

How to soak almonds

Place almonds in a bowl, add enough warm tap water to fully cover them.
Cover the bowl and let it sit on your countertop overnight, or for 8–12 hours.
Drain and rinse. ...
Pat the almonds dry using a clean paper towel.

Baobab Jam

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Baobab Jam

Baobab Jam has a lovely sweet-apricot flavor and is a dinner party talking point when accompanying meat dishes, but can equally be spread thickly on warm toast for breakfast. Don’t be alarmed when it starts out cloudy, it turns a clear orange when done. Just remember to keep stirring as you make it as it can easily stick to the bottom of the pot in the early stages of cooking. We have given a recipe for just one jar, but if you double or triple it you can make more jars for your friends and family.

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Total Time 1

Course Side Dish

Servings 1 Jar

Ingredients

1 cup Sugar
½ cup Baobab Powder
2 cups Water

Instructions

In a medium-sized pot mix the sugar and baobab powder with a little water at a time until all the water has been added.
Bring to the boil and then reduce temperature and let it simmer without stirring for 20 minutes or until it reaches setting point.
Let the baobab superfruit jam cool in the pot before pouring into sterilized bottles.

Notes

While the jam is boiling use a metal spoon to remove the white foam that develops on the surface.
If you are unsure if the jam has reached setting point place a tsp of jam on a cold plate, wait until it cools and feel if it is thick like jam.
To sterilize bottles, boil the bottles in water for 10 minutes.

Creamy Hot Bao-Choco Drink

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Creamy Hot Bao-Choco Drink

Who knew? Baobab powder has powers beyond those well documented health-giving properties we love so much. We’ve discovered that it gives hot chocolate a smooth and creamy finish, much like chocolate mousse in hot drink form. To fully enjoy this Bao-choco treat one needs to get the ratio of cacao to baobab just right. We think we’ve got it, and can’t wait for you to try it. It’s exceptionally delicious with the whipped coconut cream!

This recipe has been especially developed and photographed for EcoProducts by Candice Douglas of the Social Post, it’s a tried and tested recipe that focuses on exceptional taste using locally produced natural ingredients wherever possible.

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Total Time 10

Course Dessert, Drinks

Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

Regular Drink

2 cups Milk use almond milk for a dairy-free version
3 Tbsp Cacao Powder
1 tsp Baobab Powder
2-3 tsp Xylitol / Honey (adjust to taste – we like Mac’s Honey)
1 pinch Salt (we like Oryx Desert Salt)

Gourmet Drink (add to Regular)

½ tsp cardamom & cayenne pepper for a warming bite
1-2 Tbsp coconut whipped cream

Coconut Whipped Cream

1 can Coconut Cream* guar gum free, and refrigerated overnight
½ cup Castor Sugar / Xylitol
1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Instructions

Regular Drink

Pour milk into a small saucepan and warm up slowly over a medium heat.
When warm enough to test with your finger without burning yourself, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until combined.
Continue heating until it reaches your desired temperature.

Gourmet Drink (add to Regular)

Add ½ tsp cinnamon and top with a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
Stir in a sprinkle of cardamom and cayenne pepper for a warming bite.
Top with coconut whipped cream*

*Coconut Whipped Cream

Chill the coconut cream in the fridge overnight. (An important step!)
Chill a mixing bowl in the freezer for 10 minutes. (Not vital, but helpful.)
Turn the coconut cream can over slowly, and open ‘bottom side up’.
Pour the liquid out, and save for smoothies.
Scrape the coconut cream out, and whisk on a medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until fluffy.
Add sweetener and vanilla and whisk for another minute.
Place a dollop of cream on top of the hot chocolate with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Refrigerate leftover cream in a sealed container.

Notes

P.S. We HIGHLY recommend you make too much ‘by mistake’ (oops), and put the extra in the fridge for tomorrow’s post-lunch treat. It thickens slightly into a creamy mousse thanks to the baobab powder, and you can almost eat it with a spoon.

Flu Buster Baobab Hot Toddy

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Flu Buster Baobab Hot Toddy

Soothing, warming and comforting, this is one of those simple but powerful hot drinks that will raise your spirits as well as strengthen your immune system. We loved the flavour element the thyme added and so were quite generous with it, but you don’t have to get stuck on the ingredients – you can tweak it in a hundred different ways – and we give you some ideas to play with whatever suits your mood in the moment. Besides being a satisfyingly enjoyable blend, each ingredient in this tea was chosen for its flu-preventing health benefits.

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Total Time 10

Course Drinks

Servings 3 mugs

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Baobab Powder
1 Tbsp Cinnamon Powder
2-3 Tbsp Honey (or Xylitol/Coconut sugar for Vegans) to taste
3 bags Rooibos Tea or 2 heaped Tbsp loose tea
4 sprigs Fresh Mint leafy sprigs
1 handful Fresh Thyme generous
1 x Juicy Organic Lemon small

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the baobab powder and cinnamon together with the honey.
Brew the rooibos tea with about 4 cups of almost-boiling water. Allow to cool slightly. (+/- 5 minutes)
Add the thyme and mint and give it a minute to steep.
Stir the spiced honey into the tea, and use a little hot (not boiling) water to get every scraping of honey out the bowl.
Squeeze the lemon into the tea and give it a good stir.
Pour into mugs through a tea strainer or sieve.

Notes

And you’ll notice we steer away from using boiling water, and allow the tea to cool before adding many of the ingredients so as to preserve the nutritional goodness in each.

Here’s what you get:
Baobab powder is a nutrient-dense wholefood packed with Vitamin C, calcium, potassium, magnesium and fibre which also acts as a prebiotic.

Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and antioxidant properties. (Be sure to use non-irradiated Ceylon cinnamon.)

Honey is anti-bacterial, effective at fighting infections, and soothing a sore throat. (Make sure it’s raw honey!)

Thyme reduces inflammation in the throat and helps to soothe an itchy cough thanks to its antibacterial, antifungal and spasmolytic properties.

Mint can help alleviate inflammation and the temperature-spike associated with headaches.

Lemons are alkalising, helping to balance the body’s PH and fight illness. They are also antibacterial, and – of course – rich in Vitamin C.

TIPS:

Replace the thyme and mint with finely sliced fresh ginger
For added heat and spiciness, include a pinch of cayenne pepper or chilli flakes